All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Cancer of the urothelial layer is the most common type of urinary bladder tumor and is four times more common in men than in women. Approximately 68,810 new cases of urothelial carcinoma (CC) were detected in 2008 in the United States, and an estimated 14,100 patients died of the disease. Current UC management primarily depends on the histologic grading and pathologic staging of the tumor1,2. While these provide an assessment of risk, they are unable to predict the outcome for an individual patient. Molecular alterations in tumors precede visually identifiable morphologic changes and are responsible for their biologic behavior3,4, prognosis, and response to therapy. Hence, histopathologic staging in UC needs to be complemented with molecular correlates to accurately predict clinical outcome and therapeutic response.